Watauga County, NC
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 36.24, -81.71.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 93rd pct · 193rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 96th pct · 4th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
- 28th pct · 2,180th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 45th pct · 55th of 100 North Carolina counties · median +1.1%
- 92nd pct · 104th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 98th pct · 2nd of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
- 74th pct · 809th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 61st pct · 39th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
- 24th pct · 2,418th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 22nd pct · 77th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $984
- 97th pct · 69th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 97th pct · 3rd of 100 North Carolina counties · median 5.0
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $505,994 (Aug 2026), +1.0% over one year, +29.1% over five
- 93rd pct · 193rd of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 96th pct · 4th of 100 North Carolina counties · median $273,108
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Watauga County, NC | $505,994 · +1.0% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $2,363/mo (Aug 2026), n/a over one year; price-to-rent 17.8
- 92nd pct · 104th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 98th pct · 2nd of 63 North Carolina counties · median $1,573
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Watauga County, NC | $2,363/mo · n/a 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $2,770 a month on $505,994 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,021 a month: 68.9% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $505,994 × 80% = $404,795, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $2,770/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $928 × 52 / 12 = $4,021) = 69% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $505,994 / ($928 × 52) = 10.5
- price-to-rent = $505,994 / ($2,363 × 12) = 17.8
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
24,648 jobs at 1,973 employers (2026 Q1); +1.3% jobs and -3.1% average weekly wage over the year
- 74th pct · 809th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 61st pct · 39th of 100 North Carolina counties · median 16,739
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Watauga County, NC | 24,648 jobs · $928/wk · +1.3% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 4,217 | $1,209 | 1.14 | +3.6% |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,009 | $407 | 1.81 | +3.3% |
| Retail trade | 3,399 | $617 | 1.42 | -1.0% |
| Construction | 1,157 | $1,009 | 0.90 | +10.2% |
| Arts, entertainment and recreation | 759 | $572 | 1.87 | +3.4% |
| Real estate and rental | 730 | $841 | 1.93 | +1.4% |
| Professional and technical services | 696 | $1,586 | 0.41 | -5.0% |
| Other services | 687 | $709 | 0.93 | -2.7% |
| Administrative and waste services | 621 | $983 | 0.44 | -7.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 402 | $1,233 | 0.43 | -14.1% |
| Manufacturing | 390 | $725 | 0.20 | -9.9% |
| Information | 321 | $1,805 | 0.71 | +0.3% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
D0 abnormally dry
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
7 USGS reservoir gauges, no capacity figures to weight
Sites found: 7, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| W. KERR SCOTT RESERVOIR AT DAM NR WILKESBORO, NC | 30.0 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 45 km |
| GASTON SHOALS RESERVOIR ABOVE BLACKSBURG, SC | 79.1 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 122 km |
| LAKE WILLIAM C. BOWEN NEAR FINGERVILLE, SC | 815.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 128 km |
| LAKE BLALOCK NEAR COWPENS, SC | 710.4 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 132 km |
| NINETYNINE ISLAND RES. BELOW CHEROKEE FALLS, SC | 99.3 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 135 km |
| LITTLE RIVER RESERVOIR NEAR RADFORD, VA | 231.0 Acre-ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 138 km |
| LAKE LOGAN AT DAM NEAR HAZELWOOD, NC | 52.9 ft (USGS, no capacity on file) | 142 km |
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
77 gauges · 0 flooding · 5 with quality panels averaging 100 % · 4 stale
Sites found: 77, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Winkler Creek at Meadowview Drive in Boone | no flooding | 6 km |
| Middle Fork New River at Boone | out of service | 6 km |
| South Fork New River at US Hwy 221 | no flooding | 6 km |
| Watauga River near Foscoe | no flooding | 8 km |
| WATAUGA RIVER NEAR SUGAR GROVE, NC | flow 46.9 ft³/s · no flooding | 10 km |
| South Fork New River at SR 1100 near Brownwood | no flooding | 15 km |
| BUCKEYE CR BELOW BUCKEYE LAKE NEAR CANNON GAP, NC | flow 0.02 ft³/s | 18 km |
| BUCKEYE CR ABOVE BUCKEYE LAKE NEAR CANNON GAP, NC | flow 0.55 ft³/s | 18 km |
| North Fork New River at Ashland | no flooding | 23 km |
| Buffalo Creek (NC) near Headwaters | out of service | 24 km |
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
11 wells in 0 named aquifers:
Sites found: 11, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
| Site | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| USGS-361646081430401 | depth 29.8 ft · 2026-10-05 | 5 km |
| USGS-360455081530101 | depth 2.21 ft · 2011-11-27 | 23 km |
| USGS-361738082132900 | depth 12.1 ft · 1989-09-30 | 47 km |
| USGS-355031081243203 | depth 23.5 ft · 2026-10-05 | 51 km |
| USGS-355031081243202 | depth 9.79 ft · 2026-10-05 | 51 km |
| USGS-354302081433201 | depth 9.00 ft · 2026-10-05 | 58 km |
| USGS-354302081433202 | depth 12.2 ft · 2026-10-05 | 58 km |
| USGS-354133082042203 | depth 29.1 ft · 2026-10-05 | 69 km |
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 + 0.2×0.00 / 0.55
Banks & federal dollars #
$1.5 bn in deposits at 16 offices of 14 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,206, moderately concentrated. $338.7 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $318.1 m, grants $41.3 m), $13,743 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $260.2 m · 17.7% share · 1 office | |
| Truist Bank | $235.5 m · 16.0% share · 1 office | |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $232.9 m · 15.8% share · 2 offices | |
| Watauga, NC | $338.7 m FY2026 · $13,743/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank of Pennsylvania | $260,172,000 | 17.7% | 1 |
| Truist Bank | $235,532,000 | 16.0% | 1 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $232,859,000 | 15.8% | 2 |
| First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company | $185,905,000 | 12.7% | 2 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $144,847,000 | 9.9% | 1 |
| LifeStore Bank | $111,128,000 | 7.6% | 1 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $76,678,000 | 5.2% | 1 |
| First Horizon Bank | $67,144,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| United Community Bank | $41,400,000 | 2.8% | 1 |
| Piedmont Federal Savings Bank | $34,810,000 | 2.4% | 1 |
Deposit concentration is 1,206 across 14 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 14 banks with deposits in the county = 17.7² + 16.0² + 15.8² + … (11 more) = 1,206
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
That is $13,743 per covered job, against 24,648 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $338.7 m / 24,648 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $13,743
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 3.00 | 2026-10-06 | -50.0% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Watauga County, NC: 14 findings, 4 at a watch level and 10 noted
watchWatauga County, NC's years of wages of 10.5 ranks 69th of 3,063 US counties, a watch level here: years of wages in the top tenth of US counties (position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages percentile = 97.7792292619203 >= 90
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
position among the counties that published both a ZHVI value and a QCEW average weekly wage; not an official level
watchWatauga County, NC's average weekly wage is -3.1% against a year earlier, a watch level here: average weekly wage below the same quarter a year earlier, before inflation (BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- test: jobs.yoy.avgWeeklyWage = -3.1 < 0
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published, nominal dollars; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchWatauga County, NC's years of wages is 10.5, a watch level here: typical home value worth 10 or more years of one average covered wage (typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: yearsOfWages = 10.485624216338932 >= 10
- typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52); one average covered job, not a household
typical home value / (average weekly wage × 52), one average covered job rather than a household; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
watchWatauga County, NC's typical asking rent is -1.3% against the previous month, a watch level here: typical asking rent at least 1 percent below the previous month (arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level). The previous published period is not in this table, so this is a standing level rather than a change.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- test: rent.momPct = -1.3025506362714454 <= -1
- month-over-month percent change = (newest month − previous month) / |previous month| × 100, from Zillow's own published month columns
arithmetic on the Zillow ZORI month columns; convention chosen for this dashboard, not an official level
noteWatauga County, NC's average weekly wage was 3.1% lower than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- -3.1 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
Read all 12 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.